Mothers with young babies and sick and disabled people on benefits would be forced to look for work under a proposed overhaul of NZ's welfare system, which would see all benefits replaced by a 'jobseeker payment'.

Prime Minister John Key says he is open to work-testing beneficiaries when their youngest child turns three.

Peter Milne has one question for a government advisory group that wants more beneficiaries to have to look for work: Where are the jobs?

The Government won't consider reductions to main benefit levels including the sickness, invalid's, unemployment and domestic purposes benefits as part of any welfare overhaul recommended by the Welfare Working Group tomorrow.

John Key has been accused of being disconnected after saying that beneficiaries who resort to food banks do so out of their own "poor choices".

John Key says beneficiaries who resort to food banks do so out of their own "poor choices" rather than because they cannot afford food.

A Labour MP held up a pumpkin in Parliament today as the Government continued to face criticism over its Community Max welfare projects reported to have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars with little result.

The Govt is under fire over a scheme accused of wasting thousands of dollars funding a 1.6ha garden with one pumpkin in it.

These days, there are other 'f words' causing issues - Facebook, free speech and fidelity.

I don't mind admitting that I know Miley Cyrus sings a song called 'The climb'.

It has been a very strong start to the year, says recruitment company director Kate Ross.

John Key says people should not lose confidence in the job market despite this morning's increase in the unemployment rate.

New Zealand's jobless rate has unexpectedly widened to 6.8 per cent, sparking a sell-off in the kiwi dollar which dropped as much as half a cent.

Salary and wage rates, including overtime, grew 1.7 per cent in the year to the December quarter, says Statistics New Zealand.